Signal device for elevator systems.



C. D. SEEBERGER.

SIGNAL DEVICE FOR ELEVATOR SYSTEMS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13. 1914.

1,223,527, Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

2M1??? zhiisas C. D. SEEBERGER.

SIGNAL DEVICE FOR ELEVATOR SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.13. x914.

1,2233527. Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Zvzfn asts fs, I 71 yen to 2,

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES D. SEEBERGER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SIGNAL DEVICE FOR ELEVATOR SYSTEMS.

Specification of Letters latent. Patented Apr. 24, 191?.

Original application filed'August 1, 1907, Serial No. 386,665. Renewed october 24, 1912, Serial No. 727,623.

, Divided and this application filed. March 13, 1914. Serial No. 824,356.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES D. SEEBER- GER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signal Devices for Elevator Systems, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to signal devices for elevator systems in which adjacent cars are independently actuated and controlled both up and down in the same shaft, and consists in the matters hereinafter described and then pointed out in the appended claims.

In .the accompanying drawings which show embodiments of the various features of my present invention,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an indicator or tell-tale mounted in each of the cars;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same with the wirings for the circuits;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of one form of controlling device in the cars showing the same connected in the electrical circuits of the indicator of Fig.2;

Fig. 4 is a side view partly in elevation and partly in section of the controlling device of Fig. 3;

Figs. 5 and 6 are side and front views showing two adjacent cars and their associated devices for actuating the tell-tale or indicator;

Fig. 7 is a detail view partly in section and partly in elevation showing the indicator devices of Fig. 2 utilized'fqr shifting the operating device of the car, and also showing certain electric features;

Fig. 8 is a view showing an end elevation of parts of Fig. 7 and also showing certain other parts in section and in elevation;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of certain parts shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the solenoid of Fig. 8 with its safety catch; and

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic view showing a' series of signals in one car and the electrical circuits therefor extended in position to illustrate their connection with associated devices in another car. v

-In utilizing the various features of my invention any number of cars may be employed, depending on the length of the run or height of the shaft, and for purposes of illustration two cars 31 and 82 are shown with the understanding that the various features may be employed for a larger number of cars by extending or duplicating the several devices orappliances. The cars here shown operate in the same shaft, and each normally moves independently of the others, being operated by suitable cables (not shown) and running on suitable guides, such for example as shown at 44, the construction and operation of these and other associated parts and devices being preferably as shown in my application originally filed August 1st, 1907, bearing Serial Number 386,665, renewed October 24, 1912.; renewal Serial Number 727,623, of which the present applicationis a division and con tinuation.

An important feature of my invention resides in an indicator or tell-tale showing in any car the proximity of-an adjacent car, and which may be employed in any location Where cars travel on the same run or track or in the-same shaft. The details of this feature may be varied but in the preferred form I provide a tell-tale which will show in any car the proximity of an adjacent car by scale, by lights, by sound and by the feeling or touch of the operator. Referring more especially to Figs. 1 and 6, each car is provided with aXshort shaft 84 projecting through one of the walls thereof and provided at its inner end with a worm gear 85 and at its outer end with the drum 86. The drums of adjacent cars are connected by a distance cable or rope 87 which is wrapped around the drums so as to revolve them when it is moved, and provided at'its ends with weights 88. It is obvious that as the space between the cars diminishes, the weights will descend. thus operating the associated drums. Each car is provided adjacent the gear 85 with a suitable bracket 89 in which a spiral gear 90 is reyolubly mounted. The gear 90 meshes with the gear 85, and is provided with a central threaded aperture which is in threaded engagement with the correspondingly threaded shaft 91, the

gear 90 serving as an actuator to revolve the shaft 'in such direction and at such speed that the shaft always is positioned in the gear corresponding to the distance between adjacent cars. Thebracket 89 is suitably provided with projecting sleeves 92 to provide suitable bearing surface and support for the shaft 91, which at its upper end carries a suitable frame 93 slidingly mounted upon-guides 94 attached to the inner wall of the car. The sliding-frame is provided with transparent portions of different colors, such as panels 95,, 96 and 97 of white, green and red glass respectively,-preferably alternating with opaque portions of the frame. A suitable light 98 is attached to the car in the rear of the frame, so that as the frame slides up and down upon its guides the light will illuminate the different transparent portionslof the frame.

vided with an indicator in the nature of a pointer 99 operating' in conjunction with a scale uponthe sliding frame to show the dis- ,the lever bridgesacent cars in convenient units, preferably by units indicating the numbers of the floors or landings, thus also indicating the number of floors intervening between the elevator'cars. 7

Each car is also provided with a buzzer or an'alarm bell 10 which. is in a normally open circuit including a pair of opposite contacts 101- and 102 and a battery 103. This circuit also includes a branch to a pair of contact plates-104 carried by the car adjacent the controlling-lever 105 whlch actance apart of adj tuates a suitable device 106' controlling the running or operating ropes 107 extending to the source of power to start and stop the car, the arrangement being such that the space between the plates 104 to provide electrical continu ty therebetween for a purpose to be hereinafter described, the contacts 101 and 102 being carried by the car in such position as to be closed by a brush 108 attached to the sliding-frame 93 when the latter moves downwardly. with a second a normally open circuit including the oppo' site contacts 101- and 110 and the batteries 103 and 111, the contact 110 being placed below the contact102 and in position to be closed with the contact 101 by the brush 108 when the sliding-frame travels toward its lowest point, it being obvious that when the -circuitis closed between the contacts 101 and 110, the gong 109 is operated with double battery power. The circuits of the alarm bells and their associated parts are The car is also pro- Each car is also provided bell or gong 109 which is in provided with suitable wiping contacts 114 to cooperate with the contacts 101 and suitably connected to the wires of the magnets.

When the system is installed adjacent cars are arranged at a predetermined distance apart with their respective indicator frames set in the position shown in Fig. 2, and the drums 86 are connected with a stretch of rope equal to such predetermined distance; in the present instance this distance is assumed to be equal to the space of six stories or floors of an associated building, for convenience of illustration, it being of course obvious that it may be varied. When the distance between the cars diminishes, the weights descend and operate the drums and indicator frames which then descend on their guides. The parts are so related that the normal position of the frames preferably will be such as to show the light 98 through the white glass or panel 95, and tohave the indicator point to any number on the scale indicating a predetermined distance apart of two cars, as here six stories. lVhen now the cars approach to lessen this distance, the stretch of the running rope between their drums ,slackens to allow the weights to descend from their'drums to revolve the latter to turn the gears 90 whose revolutions move the threaded shafts 91 in such direction and atsuch speed that this fact is indicated in each car by its pointer 99 and light 98 which show the scale and glass panels respecdistance between the cars within the predetermined zone increases. Each operator is thereby informed of the relative distance 'between his car and adjacent cars at all times, and as the cars approach nearer than the predetermined distance signals to the shown in Fig. 2, and it is obvious that they maybe arranged in any suitable manner;

preferably they include the contact-plates 104 for the purpose of operating a suitable vibrator in the handle of the controlling lever 105. To this end the handle of the lever is made hollow to receive a suitable magneto vibrator 112, operated by the armatures of a pair of magnets 113. This magnctowibrator 1s inclosed in a suitable asing mounted upon the handle, and is senses of sight,.hearing and touch of the op-- erator are simultaneously operated. When the distance between the. cars increases the stretch of the runningrope between them is drawn taut and the drumsare revolved bythe rope to move the frames toward their initial positionswhich they reach when the.

cars reach'the predetermined distance apart. While the drawings illustrate the parts as applied to only twocars, it is obvious that the application to a greater number of cars .would be clearly within the scope of the present invention,

Any one of the several signal devices just described, which are the same upon and in connection with each car, may be used alone, or for the sake of securing greater effectiveness of operationtwo or more, or all, may be employed in cooperation.

\Vhile the operation of the indicator suffices to govern the movements of the cars, I have devised certain further mechanisms which may be used in supplement thereto for mechanically or automatically controlling the c'ars.

One of these devices is a speed-governor, which is adapted for use upon cars operating in separate shaft-s but is especially useful in systems where a plurality of cars operate in the same shaft. This feature is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, in which the controlling device 106 cooperating with the running or shifting ropes 107 controlling the source of power is provided with an arm 115 adapted to contact with a guide 116, an anti-friction wheel 117 preferably being provided in the end of the arm. The guide is placed in the lower part of the shaft, and the arm is attached to the shifting device of a relatively upper car, as car 31 for example in the present showing, and the arrangment is such that the guide holds the shifting device against movement 'in the direction to increase the speed-of the car. By this means the speed of the car is automatically reduced, and when an upper or express car traverses that part of the shaftused by a lower or local car, the speed of the express car may not exceed that of the local car. The parts may be set to make the maximum speed of the express car equal to or less than the speed of the local car.

Another feature of my invention consists in providing means to automatically shift the operating device of the car when it approaches Within a predetermined distance of the next car,-Whereby either or both cars shall be automatically slowed up or stopped until the normal distance between them is again established. For this purpose 1 uti-- lize a distancing-device, such as the Weighted cable and its drums, which at any predetermined point shifts the operating device of a 55 lower car is reduced car to either slow up or stop the car as may be desired. Referring to Fig. 7 it Will beseen'that the shaft 91 of the indicator is extended through the floor of the. car and is.

provided with a rack 118 operating a pinion 119 upon a bar 120. The pinion is provided "iiother side of the battery. The

the solenoid is provided with an extension with a yoke 122 engaging a pin 123inthe' usual controlling device 106 on the lever 105 and which operates the shifting ropes 107 controlling the operating or power device. When the distance between an upper and a to a predetermined .both cars.

reduced and until point the action of the distancing cable 87, as above described, causes the rack to revolve the pinion 119, the revolution of which moves the threaded shaft 'in such direction and at such speed that the yoke shifts the part 106 to either slow up or stop either or The ropes 107 are so arranged on the shifting device that the levers of the upper and lower cars are at the same angle when the car directions are opposite. The device may operate to check or stop both cars when they are moving in opposite directions or in the same direction either up or down; it will check or stop the cars according to the extent it moves the controlling device 106 toward the latters stop" position, which of course is determined by the movement transmitted by the distancing device. It is also obvious that the extent of movement thus transmitted to the control- 0 ling device may be such as to reverse the direction of travel of the car by moving the controlling device 106 past its.stop position. The shifting device may be on all cars running in the same shaft, or it may be applied only on the upper car or cars.

Another feature consists in providing mechanism which gradually increases the friction of a car-grip upon the guides as the predetermined distance between the cars is the grip stops the car when this distance has been reduced to its minimum of safety. For this purpose the hubof the pinion 119 is provided with a sprocket 124 having a chain 125 running over a sprocket 126 on a brass sleeve 127' of a solenoid mounted on the lower portion of the frame of the car. The wires of the solenoid are arranged in a band 128, their ends being mechanically connected to the. sleeve 127 and electrically connected to a metallic arbor or roller 129, as shown in Fig. 8, which is revolubly mounted on the frame and is provided with suitable means, such as a weighted rope 130, 'to wind the wires thereon. The wires are secured to the sleeve 127 by means of a common conductor 131, which is in electrical connection with a metallic disk 132-contacting with a brush 133 from which the wire 134 leads to one side of asuitable battery or other source of electrical supply. The arbor 129 is electrically connected by conductor 135 to the core 136 of This friction device is operated by a suitable distancing-device, such as the weighted rope 87, cooperating with anysuitable intermediate transmitting mechanism as the shaft 91 and pinion 119. When the distancing device acts, as above described, the shaft 91 is lowered and the sprocket chain 125 causes the sleeve 127 to revolve in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 8 against the force of the weight and to wind the wires on the sleeve to build up the solenoid; This building-up of the solenoid causes the core to be drawn within the sleeve to operate the toggle and gradually increase the friction of the grip on the guide until finally the grip holds fast on the guide when the cars have approached to the minimum distance apart. The grips shown comprise a pair of pivoted jaws whose arms are connected to the arms of the toggle, but they may be of any suitable form.

A suitable indicator to acquaint the operator of a car with the direction of travel of an adjacent car or cars may be employed, and for this purpose I employ the devices shown. in Figs. 7 and 11, in which the adjacent wires are to be considered as connected. A cable 162 containing electrical conducting wires extends between 'the cars 31 and 32 respectively, its conductors connecting suitable signals in one car with circuit contacts in another car adapted to be closed at different positions of the controlling lever of an adjacent car. One of the cars carries a signal such as a lamp 163 suitably connected by wires in the cable to a pair of contacts 164 and 165 arranged adjacent to a of travel of thelever portion of the path in an adjacent car, the contact 165 being preferably divided and connected by a suit able resistance 166 for a purpose hereinafter described. This local circuit is provided with a battery, and the lever of the second car is adapted to close the circuit between the contacts 164 and 165 when thrown from its central or inoperative position to any point in the corresponding direction of the contacts, thereby lighting the lamp 163 in the first car. A companion lamp 167 is provided in the first car similarly connected in a circuit including the battery with corresponding contacts 164 and 168 in the second car, adapted to be bridged when the operating lever is thrown to reverse the direction of travel of its car. The contact 168 is likewise divided into a series of separate contacts connected by 169. By this means lamp 163 is lighted when the second car moves down, and the lamp 167 is lighted when the second car moves up, thus indicating to the operator of each car the direction of travel of the other car. a his direction signal may include the resistances as above described for the additional function or purpose of furnishing a speed indicator in connection with the direction indicator, as it is obvious that the resistances connecting the series of contacts 165 and 168 respectively add brillianc to the lamps in the first car as the speed 0 the a suitable resistance 1. In an elevator system, a pair of cars adapted to independently move in the same shaft; a distance device connecting the cars;

and a signal device in one of the cars operated by the distance device when the cars approach within a predetermined distance.

2. In anelevator system, a pair of cars adapted to independently move in the same shaft a distance device connecting the cars; and a signal device in each car operated by the distance device when the cars approach within a predetermined distance.

3. In an elevator system, a pair of cars adapted to independently move in the same shaft; a distance device connecting the cars; and signaling means in one of the cars having increasing warning indicia operated by the distance device when the distance between the cars decreases wlthin a predeterm1ned zone.

4. In an elevator system, a pair of cars adapted to independently move in the same shaft; a distance device connecting the cars; and signaling means in each car having increasing warning indicia 0 erated by the distance device when the distance between the cars decreases within-a predetermined zone. 7

5. In an elevator system, a pair of cars adapted to independently move in the same shaft; a distance device connecting the cars; a plurality of signals in one of the cars; and means in said car operated by the distance device to successively operate the signals when the distance between the cars decreases within a predetermined zone.

6. In an elevator system, a pair of cars adapted to independently move in the ame shaft; a distance device connecting the ars; a plurality of signals in each car; and means in each car operated by the distance device to successively operate its signals when the distance between the cars decreases within a redetermined zone.

' In an elevator system, a pair of cars adapted to independently move in the same shaft; a distance device connecting the cars; and an indicator in one car operated by the distance device to show different predetermined distances between the cars.

8. In an elevator system, a pair of cars adapted to independently move in the same shaft; a distance device connecting the cars; and indicating means in one car operated by the said device to show different predetermined distances between the cars, and comprising visual and aural signals.

9. In an elevator system, a pair of cars adapted to independently move in the same shaft; a distance device connecting the cars; and indicating means in one car operated by the said device to show different predetermined distances between the cars, and comprising signals for the sight, hearing and touch of the operator.

10. In an elevator system, a pair of cars adapted to independently move in the same shaft; a distance device connecting the cars; and an indicator in one car operated by the said device to show different predetermined distances between the cars, and comprising a moving and a stationary member.-

11. In an elevator system, a pair of cars adapted to independently move in the same shaft; a distance device connecting the cars; aural-signal circuits and an indicator in one car operated by the said device to show different predetermined distances between the cars, and comprising a moving frame having visual indicating devices and means to close the aural-signal circuits.

12. In an elevator system, a pair of cars adapted to independently move in the same shaft; handles to control the operation of, the cars; vibrators in the handles; a distance device connecting the cars; and means operated by the distance device to operate the vibrators when the cars approach nearer than a predetermined distance.

13. In an elevator system, a pair of cars adapted to independently move in the same shaft; handles to control the operations of the cars; electrical vibrators in the handles; a distance device connecting the cars; a circuit including said vibrators and a suitable source of electrical power; and an indicator in each car operated by the distance device and closing the circuit when the cars approach within a predetermined distance.

14. In an elevator system, a pair of cars adapted to independently operate in the same shaft; a distance device connecting the cars and comprising a drum on each car and a cable to revolve the drums as the distance between the cars is reduced; and an indicator in one of the cars operated by the drum thereof when said car approaches within a predetermined distance of the other car.

'15. In an elevator system, a pair of cars adaptedto independently operate in the same shaft; a drum on each car; a cable to revolve the drums as the cars approach nearer than a predetermined distance; a gear on each car operated by 'its drum; a shaft on each car moved longitudinally by the rotation of its gear; anda signal device in each car operated by the shaft.

16. In an elevator system, a pair of cars adapted to independently move in the same shaft; a distance device, connecting the cars comprising a cable and drums on the cars revolved by the cable as'the distance between the cars is reduced; a gear oneach car operated by its drum; a shaft on each car moved longitudinally by the rotation of its gear; and an indicator in each car controlled by its shaft to indicate when it approaches within a predetermined distance of the other car.

17. In an elevator system, a pair of cars adapted to independently operate in the same shaft; a distance device connecting the cars and comprising a drum on each car and a cable wound on the drums and having its ends weighted; and an indicator operated in one of the cars by the drum.

18. In an elevator system, a pair of cars adapted to independently operate in the same shaft; a drum on each car; a cable wound on the drums and having its ends weighted; and a signal device in each car operated by its drum.

19. In an elevator system, a pair of cars adapted to independently move in the same shaft; a distance device connecting the cars comprising a drum on each car and a cable Wound on the drums and having its ends weighted; and meansineach car controlled by its drum to indicate diflerent predetermined distances between the cars.

20. In an elevator system, a pair of cars adapted to travel independently in a common shaft; a signal device in each car; a cable movably connected with the cars; and connections between the cable and signal devices to operate the latter when the cars approach nearer than a predetermined distance. I

21. In an elevator system, a pair of cars independently movable in the same shaft; a signal device in each car; a cable movably connected with the cars;' and means operated by the cable to operate the signal de vice of an approaching car at a predetermined length of the cable.

22. In an elevator system, the combination with two cars independently movable both up and down in the same shaft; of a cable movably connected with the cars, and a signal device in each car operated by the cable when the cars approach within a predetermined distance.

23. In an elevator system, the combination with two cars independently movable both up and down in the same shaft; of a drum on each car, a cable wound upon the drums, and signal mechanism in each car operated by the cable when the cars approach within a predetermined distance.-

24. In an elevator system, the combination 13o of two cars independently movable both up and down in the same shaft; signal mechanism in each car; a drum on each car controlling its signal mechanism; and a cable wound on the drums to operate them when the cars approach Within a predetermined distance.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature 1n presence of two wltnesses.

CHARLES D. SEEBERGER.

Witnesses:

ULYSSES J. BYWATER, VINCENSO DE C-I-IASELLIS. 

